Status Update

Our next milestone is the Early Access release of X-Plane 12. As we get closer to this public stage, we wanted to share a quick look into where we are in the development process, what’s being worked on currently, and what else needs to be completed before we release.

During Early Access:

  • Everyone will be able to purchase X-Plane 12.
  • X-Plane 12 will be available for purchase as a digital key for $59.99, just like always.
    • During Early Access, X-Plane 12 digital keys will include access to X-Plane 11 as well.
    • DVD copies of X-Plane 12 will be available later on, once X-Plane 12 is out of Early Access. These will be available from X-Plane.com in North America and by Aerosoft in Europe.
    • Early Access will also be available on Steam.

Flight Model

  • In Final Testing
  • Austin is working on a blog post now to provide an overview of the changes that have been made for X-Plane 12.

World Features/Global Scenery

  • Completed
    • Rain/Snow shaders for airports and global scenery
  • In Progress
    • Complete data import/finish scenery tile generation.
      • We import piles and piles of data and then use it to create our global scenery. Due to the sheer size of this data, the import process alone takes several days .
    • Improve performance of 3D trees.
    • Tune coastlines/beaches embedded new scenery tiles.
    • Boat/Seaplane 3D wake drawing.
    • Complete ortho photo compatibility.
      • We know that users have all sorts of ortho photo packs that they are using currently in X-Plane 11. Our goal is to maintain compatibility as much as possible.
  • To-Do
    • Finish implementing geographically-aware water colors.

Airport Features

  • Complete
    • Fully animated jetways.
    • Modular tower building kit for Gateway artists.
    • New ground vehicles with updated driving logic.
    • FMOD sounds for ground vehicles.
    • Dozens of new static aircraft + new airline/airport based logic for livery selection.
  • In Progress
    • New (all electric ⚡️) passenger buses

Fleet

  • Completed
    • SR22
    • R22 (skids/mariner versions)
    • Citation X
    • RV-10
    • PA-18
  • In Progress
    • A330
      • While this aircraft is ready for an initial release, there are some additional features that we are still working on – specifically a custom Airbus FMS.
    • F-14
      • To-Do: Finish liveries and finalize autopilot behavior/cockpit details.

Weather Engine

  • Largely complete – including fresh data sources for real weather, new logic, new rain/snow accumulation/windshield effects, new volumetric 3D clouds, etc.
  • To-Do
    • Fix a handful of bugs in the volumetric cloud system.
    • Ensure weather continuity between networked simulators.
    • Performance Tuning
    • Third Party API

ATC

  • Complete
    • Updated UI
    • VR/Mouse Free support
    • VFR Operations (in testing)
  • To-Do
    • Final review

Rendering

  • Complete
    • Improve anti-aliasing performance and results
    • Re-implement projection warping
  • In Progress
    • Ambient occlusion final tuning.
  • To-Do
    • Improve global performance.
    • Fix Screen Space Reflection (SSR) bugs.

219 comments on “X-Plane 12 Development Update – May 19, 2022”

  1. Thanks a lot for the update, extremely excited to get it!!

    Silly question, but will you still include the 737? And most important, any idea if the Zibo will be compatible?

          1. Zibo will be at least flyable in xp12. But it will require some tweaks to “reach the numbers achieved” in v11

      1. I was just getting ready to ask that exact question. My hopes have not been shattered this time.

        Thank you.

  2. Many thanks for the update – can you release anything about the state of the plugin SDK and the UDP interface?

      1. Outstanding! I’m all in. Looking forward to kicking those tomcat tires, and lighting the fires!

        Thank you!

  5. This looks amazing! Can’t wait till I get my hands on this!

    What about the 747s and the Blackbird, KC10, Space Shuttle and L5 Senitel? Do those have FMOD?

    1. I believe the KC10 and 747 space shuttle carrier are legacy aircraft, the KC10 does not have a 3d cockpit and the 747 space shuttle carrier has an incorrect cockpit so it does not make sense to give these FMOD sounds. Would like to know about the L5 sentinel but I fear it may have been replaced by the PA-18.

    2. All aircraft that we’ll ship with v12 have full FMOD sounds. That said, the 747, Blackbird, KC10 and Shuttle are not part of the shipping aircraft and have been replaced with new offerings.

      3. can the XP11 aircraft carenado be used on the 12 with the same activation key?

  6. Thanks for the update. Can’t wait to get my hands on it to do some flying.

  7. Other Aircraft planned? I have purpose built Beech Baron 58 (steam gauge) cockpit working very well in XP11

    1. Honestly it would likely be best to wait for a dedicated team to make an aircraft like that if you are looking for full immersion. The X-plane team is pretty busy with improving the sim itself, so they might not add more aircraft until later on, once the sim is stable.

      1. Many thanks. I love flying the Baron 58 steam gauges in V11. Looking forward to seeing it in V12

    1. I would like to know that too – because people who buy 12 get 11 for free. That’s not exactly fair for us who paid the whole price for xp11. At least a 40% discount I would say – depending on the free xp11 for xp12 buyers.

      1. That’s a silly take. You could wait til XP13 comes out so you can get XP12 for free. For the amount of time spent using it, $60 is trivial. Be glad they aren’t charging $10 a month!

      2. I bought xp11 years ago. Averaged out, it’s like $12/year for play time. I’ll gladly shell out the $60 for xp12. Here’s to another 5 years!!

      4. XP11 was released for sale on 3/31/2017. At a price of around $60 that included 5 years of constant updates. Doing the simple math, that works out to about $5 per year or about 42 cents a month. Rewarding the developers at Laminar and paying another $60 is way more than a fair price for a really great simulator. Long live X-Plane 🙂

        2. Mike D = You hit nail on the head. Price is great, updates free. Quit complaining. I have had XP-11 less than year, and will pony up to the check out window on day 1. Hopefully, the upgrade to DVD’s will not break the bank, I have very slow internet. Thank you.

          1. “X-Plane 12 will release in public beta and we will test it.
            Laminar will fix all the bugs reported or at least investigate them from the get go.

            From the outset, MSFS-2020 release had bugs, which Alpha and Beta testers reported, which were NOT fixed at release. It’s been almost two years, and still core sim code is still broken, CTD’s, Downloading issues, numerous problems. Yes, visually is stunning, the only two planes which fly correctly are both aftermarket (ones I have flown or researched about). The updates which continuously break the sim are reported by hundreds of people. I have taken it off my PC because it’s just currently mostly a work in progress. YES, DC Designs and PMDG have released excellent planes for it, but, the core code in SIM is junk. MS needs to take it away from Asobo, and get it working, putting all World updates on hold until the core is fixed.
            XP-12 will be technically more complete, and work better in beta than MSFS does now anyone want to make a bet? Now, with that said, I am hoping my present PC can run it, because the update box I want will not be ready till next year, because of $$$$$$$.”

            Man, I’ve never read so much fanboy bs as your comment.
            MSFS is rock stable on my computer as it is on many others. Users reporting CTDs are either having addons incompatible with the latest version or some hardware issues. And they are always the loud minority on forums and fb groups…
            And yes, Asobo does just what you think Laminar will do with XP12, continuously fixing bugs and adding new features. Also, there are completely free world update packs with new content…
            Sim core is junk? Haha, you must know the code for MSFS well or be a professional pilot to be able to assess this, right? What a ridiculous statement. I dare to say that after many updates and fixes physics and aerodynamics are on par with Xplane. Speaking as someone with real piloting experience, doing aerobatics etc…
            Also, if you think only two planes are flyable, I think you didn’t really try MSFS for a long time. Just a short list: C152, C172, PA28 Arrow, Kodiak, King Air, CRJ, PMDG 737, Fenix A320… All these of very high standard planes. Not all of them “study level” with every knob and switches working (eg. King Air), but all of them are a blast to fly with.
            World-wide photorealistic scenery and weather? Well, no other simulator will come anywhere close to MSFS in that regard in the near future…

            But! I’m not bashing Xplane 12, it will also be a great sim and competition is great to promote continuous development. I just can’t stand when ppl unfairly and cluelessly reviewing something.

            It’s not the end of the world accepting that after many years of being the king of flight simulators, now Xplane has to prove its worth against a great opponent. Try now to make a better one now.

      5. Not sure what world you live in, Fenomena, but uh… lol. Perhaps you were born yesterday?

        Having been involved in a lot of games myself, it is standard practice in the industry to charge the highest price for the latest, cutting edge product, and to give a discount for all previous products. This makes sense, of course, because as soon as the latest and greatest thing comes out, the ‘value’ of the existing (viz., older) products literally decreases. Put another way, demand for XP11 will drop precipitously the very moment XP12 is available. Plus, you already got your money’s worth for XP11; the $60 you’re paying is for your future XP12 experiences, which you’ll ostensibly have for 5+ years.

        Anyway, I’m pretty convinced I’m actually just replaying to a complete troll, but in the event you’re serious, hopefully this makes the very obvious and common sensical reasoning behind what Laminar is doing clear.

        Good day.

          1. X-Plane 12 will release in public beta and we will test it.
            Laminar will fix all the bugs reported or at least investigate them from the get go.

            From the outset, MSFS-2020 release had bugs, which Alpha and Beta testers reported, which were NOT fixed at release. It’s been almost two years, and still core sim code is still broken, CTD’s, Downloading issues, numerous problems. Yes, visually is stunning, the only two planes which fly correctly are both aftermarket (ones I have flown or researched about). The updates which continuously break the sim are reported by hundreds of people. I have taken it off my PC because it’s just currently mostly a work in progress. YES, DC Designs and PMDG have released excellent planes for it, but, the core code in SIM is junk. MS needs to take it away from Asobo, and get it working, putting all World updates on hold until the core is fixed.
            XP-12 will be technically more complete, and work better in beta than MSFS does now anyone want to make a bet? Now, with that said, I am hoping my present PC can run it, because the update box I want will not be ready till next year, because of $$$$$$$.

      6. 60 bucks is less than a concert ticket that gives you two hours enjoyment, if you can even get a ticket for that much, let alone add parking. It’s less than half a tank of gas. It’s only a bit more than a case of beer where I live. If you smoke, which I don’t, it barely covers 3 packs of cigarettes. So if you’ve used your x-plane 11 for more than a few days of fun, I’d say you already got your money’s worth.

        1. Oh well: When I had bought my first computer game for about $10 many years ago, I realized that I needed a sound card that did cost me about $100 at that time. I wouldn’t guarantee that X-Plane 12 is completely different regarding the GPU 😉

      7. Back in the day, early XP era, it was at least $200…I believe it was around $400 when it first came out. We have it easy these days with $60 for something so advanced as this simulator is. It’s a no brainer to pay full price to update and get full updates of the XP12 run for several years after that!

      8. Sorry, but some people can be such crybaby’s !

        Do you really realize HOW much work is done ?
        Do you really realize HOW many people are WORKING on this ?
        Do you really realize HOW many FREE UPDATES you will get ?
        Do you really realize HOW many HOURS of WORK is done ?
        Do you really realize HOW cheap just $60 is for all the ABOVE ?

        I will be HAPPY to pay just 60 bucks, for this amazing Simulator, even
        when I already own X-Plane 11 ! I don’t even WANT a discount !

        Shame on you !

        1. I’m so fired up about this because I’m sick of the competition and their BS, I might pay for this thing twice.

          1. This is the best sim on the market in my opinion. Laminar is the best. The competitor is still a broken release and barely works for most people. These guys know what they are doing and Austin and them do real world tests with real planes to get the real world effects to put in the simulator. They work very hard on this. The fact they are putting this much work into this and making it comparable to the competitors broken release but theirs will also work, is amazing. 60 dollars is well worth it. I’ve been an X-Plane user for years and years and when I was a kid was an MSFS user. Since using X-Plane I have not EVER been disappointed. I’d say go for it my friend and welcome to the X-Plane community if you’ve never used X-Plane before.

      9. I’m just hoping that Austin doesn’t wake up and realize that this amazing software is worth far more than $60.00. While I will gladly pay that low price for the huge number of hours in which I get enjoyment from his creation, I wouldn’t complain if he charged 4 times as much! And I would still buy it! I’ve spent $3500.00 just to get a computer that runs this software, so why complain about a paltry $60.00

    2. No, there likely won’t be a discount for XP12 for XP11 owners. I don’t believe there’s EVER been a discount on the newest version of X-Plane in the history of the software.

      The ONLY discount that has ever happened was the price drop from $200 USD to ~$60 USD almost 20 years ago.

      Yes, this software used to be priced at $200 USD.

      I don’t know where people these days get the idea they deserve a discount on the newest version run if they already own the older version of the software.

      You pay $60 and get access to EVERY update of the sim for YEARS.

      X-Plane 11 was released in 2016, it’s now 2022 – SIX YEARS – pretty good run if you ask me.

      Save your pennies (if you’re old enough to remember what those are, lol) and buy the sim, be happy that you’re supporting a great developer team delivering to you a great product that you will enjoy for YEARS.

      /rant

      1. My sim is based on 4 PCs driving 3 external views and one XP master. Plus, a separate xp instance installed on a Laptop for development purposes.
        So, each time a major xp version is released, I have to buy 5 licences worth 300 bucks.
        Still worth the money.

      2. Some of us only bought X-Plane 11 this year, though. Not that I’m demanding a discount on the next version.

      3. I paid for xp11 3 times. 1st for dvd from fry’s and twice on steam. I no longe4 have access to my first account. I’ve also bought MSFs since 5.0 and a year ago found 1.0 for Mac on disk 60 is nothing. Remember fs2020 prem is 120 soooooo stop whining.

      4. $60 is a bargain!! Thank you for all the hard work you all have put into this fabulous software. This is really great work!

  9. Brilliant! Just as GPU availability/pricing is improving!

    No mention of the F4 that Austin wrote about in his recent post? Will an improved XP12 version be included?

  10. $59.99 is a good price IMHO. Can’t wait to be able to purchase it and give Early Access a run.

    Try out the Weather System, the new ATC and also Floatplanes amongst many other things.

  11. Great news, thanks for the status update!
    How about VR? Last update it “Restore VR” was in the “Up next” column. Where does that sit now?

  12. Will default planes be used as CSL’s to show traffic while online eg: vatsim or will we need a third party program for the complete rendering?

  13. Sounds absolutely great!!!! You really listened to users at the questionboard some months ago where you asked us all what we seemed to be missing in xplane 11 and now you seem to cover most of our demands. Can’t barely wait….

  14. any tought to VR? will it be ready upon release? added in the future? no words on that?
    cheers

      1. Excellent news about VR on day one. Already with a new ssd for xp12, cheers BB

    1. Same! I wish I could prepurchase it right this second and get access to xp11 while I wait. MSFS202 feels like trash to me as im currently training in a c172 IRL and it doesnt feel like it flies right at all! the C172 in the demo of xplane11 feels about right!

      1. Crazy that there aren’t any 172n addons made by anyone yet, huh? You’d think someone would make one of such a common plane.

      2. I like MSFS2020 in general, the graphics are beautiful but yea, you’re right, the flight model just doesn’t feel as real as XPlane does.

  17. Absolutely hype! Will XP12 use a similar framework for aircraft addons, or will developers have to redesign aircraft packages?

      1. Awesome, thank you for the information! Good work to you all. Smooth flying.

      2. Thomson, thanks for the update! I too have a specific interest in this area as some of the WWII addons, specifically Khamsim for XP11 as an example, are so unique and not found in other sims.

  20. So, when will it be released?

    I have been waiting to buy Xplane 12 for months, have not purchased Xplane11 because I just have been waiting for the 12.
    I think we would appreciate it if you could give us estimated timeline on when this will be released..

    2. I quit using 11 because I’m waiting for 12. I had a lot of problems with 11 (mainly with payware aircraft) so I’m hoping they will be ironed out with 12 and the weather and graphic issues are much better in VR.

  21. Je pense que cela va être difficile pour moi de venir sur xp12 côté graphisme. J’ai utilisé xp11, que j’ai beaucoup aimé, mais suite à la découverte de FS2020, je n’arrive plus à retourner sur xp11… Quand je vois les screens de xp12, cela m’inquiète un peu 🙁

  22. This is looking great! Thanks for the update. Can’t wait to hand over some money!

  23. What about the starter end, the Aerolite, Piper Cub Cessna etc?
    Please, please, please don’t ditch these.

    1. Yes, earlier posts in the thread said VR is ready to go day 1. That’s exciting for us VR users!

  25. Pingback: X-Plane 12 wird $ 59,99 kosten… | FSNews24

  26. Looking great! What will the upgrade process be like for us X-Plane 11 users? Will there be a discount?

    1. WHY would there be a discount ? You will get FREE updates for the lifetime of V12 !
      $60 is just a STEAL !

    2. I can’t wrap my mind around this. Why are people asking for a discount when most video games cost 60 dollars and are not supported for the length of time that X-Plane is (and this is not a video game mind you, I just am comparing this is other “entertainment products” on the market)? I’m going to make this clear because I’ve been a user for a long time for X-Plane and have to defend Laminar a bit here because they are the best. For your 60 bucks… You’ll get X-Plane 12… And all subsequent releases which pretty much amount to big huge changes and a “newer” up to date version of the sim. This support will continue for 5 – 6 years, possibly more, depending on what Laminar decides on and when they decide 13 in a logical next step and it’ll be 60 bucks again. 60 dollars is nothing, it’s 1 video game, but you’re getting way more value for your money with all the new features and fixes they will provide with their huge point releases. These guys work hard on the sim and truthfully 60 dollars isn’t a lot of ask for how advanced this sim is and the quality is through the roof. People need to stop asking for charity. If you want to be involved in flight simming as a hobby, pay for the best, enjoy the benefits for the next half decade that you won’t get with any other software, and be happy they aren’t charging a lot more for this amazing sim. They’re better than any of the competition. Austin and his team also run real world tests to keep the flight model as real as possible. It’s constantly a ton of work for them. So no offense here and it’s not meant to be rude, but have some respect for these guys, what they do, and the business they are running. This is a fantastic piece of software. Everyone stop asking for discounts. It’s beyond ridiculous for what we get from Laminar. Pay the 60 dollars and enjoy!

  27. Now that GPUs are so absurdly powerful, is there any thought to utilizing PhysX or GPGPU cycles for the flight model to let the CPU handle more mundane aspects of the sim?

  28. No discount for XP11 owners but a free copy to anyone who purchases XP12 is a bit of a slap in the face for returning loyal customers.

    1. It was the same with XP10 when 11 came out. Just a way of get people interested in the sim until all the wrinkles are sorted out. 60 bucks for a fully immersive simulator is a fair price.

      1. SHAME ON YOU !

        You’ve gotten FREE updates for every version !

        $60 is just a STEAL for the upcoming 4-6 years !!!

        Or do you work for free every day ?

    3. This is just as it was when XP 11 went into early release. The purpose of this is to allow those new users to have a stable release to work with during the potentially UNstable versions of 12 come along. It is not giving them a “free copy” but rather a transition mechanism.

    4. You’re not going to be using 11 even if it’s included if 12 is available, so unless you think all the work the guys have put in to create 12 is not worth $59.99

    5. really? how much discount do you get when you buy a new MS flight simulator if you have a previous version?

      Given inflation, happy to see old price, especially seeing the capabilities coming in this version. Will save me complexity of a few add-ons.

    6. Hardly – this only applies to early acces XP12 beta ( which has bugs) so those willing to try the public beta can fly a a stable version ( XP11), Because XP12 beta costs the full price of XP12 and you are getitng a beta instead of a stable version for early acces. So those who have not bought XP11 get acces to a stable XP11 verison to run.
      This is how it has been in the past for several versions.

  29. Can you provide any information on aircraft updated and returning to the fleet from XP11? Also, will LR continue allowing artists/developers to upgrade and redistribute retired aircraft? With the FM upgrades Austin outlined, breathing new life into old aircraft sounds easier than ever.

  30. Well, I’ve got every version since at least 7, so where do I sign?

    It’s probably the end of the road for my current graphics card and boot drive, but that’s fine. Makes the cost of the software small compared to the hardware.

  31. GREAT update!! The Laminar Team has been terrific at keeping us informed and updated about XP12 – as many have already alluded – we await the new arrival with great anticipation!

  32. Good news from simHeaven:
    All of my packages (X-EUROPE, X-AMERICA, X-AFRICA, X-ASIA, X-AUSTRALIA-OCEANIA, X-ANTARCTICA) are already adapted for XP12 and in the final generation, including the new vegetation and having (beside actual OSM data) much more (exact 788,235,841) Microsoft building footprints to complete the sceneries all over the world.

    1. Armin, you’re a legend, thank you so much!

      Everyone downloading it, please consider a little donation for his server costs.

  33. I have a 750usd X-Plane 11 USB that I have never used. Will you exchange for a Xp12 USB?

    I really don’t want to throw it away. Is it required for spherical projection?

  34. Can you already give some details for what we can expect of the rendering stack? Iirc Austin mentioned once that Sid is working on a multithreaded Vulkan renderer.
    Is that in scope of 12.0 or may we see that later on?

  35. Looking forward to XP12!!

    Are we to expect improved CPU Usage / Bottleneck in Dense 3d Objects Scenerie? Right now, in XP11, this is the absolute killer of fps, you can have 60fps, and when you look to a direction full of autogen, your fps will tank to 20fps, as the CPU can’t handle it. I feel this is a must to be able to get XP12 looking properly Next Gen with nice looking cities etc

  36. Fantastic team Laminar! Please try and convince Austin to generate a brilliant advert with powerful music on the new features + volumetric cloud system to excite all XP fans. I would be more than happy to post produce something using Premier Pro

  37. What updates will be forthcoming for the B737NG and the MAX?
    Thank you.

  38. I’m assuming that we will have an option to demo XP12 to ensure playability on our system BEFORE shelling out the $59.99 for early access XP12.

    If I (a current XP11 user) bought XP12 and then find it doesn’t work, I would have essentially paid for a 2nd XP11 license

  39. Please don’t rush delivery… I’d rather you complete development and beta testing to find the bugs before I switch from XP11 to 12. I’m looking forward to it! 🙂

    1. I’m also wondering about Apple M1 processing on my iMac 2021. Its running the current XP well enough but on the edge.
      I may just have to replace that motherboard on my defunct Area-51, and the NVDA 970.

  42. following up on earlier request for the C-130 Tanker to fly lower and slower than in xp11 to enable pavehawk helicopter air to air refueling, including meet point and route coordination via ingame map. tanker should be more loyal, not just run away.

    also requesting stormy waters for heli rescue, in case this was forgotten.
    https://youtu.be/oysCSbhXYBo

    Thank you !

  43. Looks amazing, love the progress.. One of my highest expectations to see if is included is how good the weather is. If the planes will have the option to include wind data per waypoint, real time metar retrieval for area etc. Also have even more expectation to see if the downwash or flare/float effect for larger plane have been improved and how well that will work. But most of all I am dying to know if Vulkan device loss error now have been curshed. Since that bug I bet is assumed one of LR largest headaches.

  44. Thank-you X-Plane for the great update! Definitely plan to purchase Version 12 via Steam when its released. The Boeing 737 (with Zibo’s mod) & Airbus A330 will insure the commercial aviation side is covered.

  45. Wondering if the high voltage distribution towers will not be allowed to sit in the middle of the road/highway? So far the preview shots of XP12 look fantastic. Great job team Laminar. I can’t wait to spend my money 🙂

  46. Thank you for the update. Can’t wait. But please take your time and don’t rush and have a bug or two that ruin the experience.

  47. If you can avoid the simpler pitfalls of the other sim it would be great.
    1/ Logbook – If you don’t use the default archaic planner and choose to start C&D, you don’t get a takeoff.
    2/ Model matching for online liveries requires a 3rd party (free) convoluted method of install, with zero instructions.
    3/ Any use of the right mouse button or taking the pointer off the sim screen, defeats all HiD/joystick control.

    1. I agree that the logbook is worse than in any other flight sim I know.
      Same is mostly true for the flight planner and the ATC.

  49. For many reason my main platform is still stuck on win7, running XP11 in OpGL just fine, safe to assume xp12 with Vulkan only is not for me now?
    (don’t do any post on suggest OS update to me, I have win10 on the same PC, just not use it)

  53. So how about the CPUs performance bottlenecks ? Is there any update on Multithreading support？

    1. There is a special beauty and irony in this post being accidentally posted twice, almost if it was self-describing the inherent issues with multithreading concurrency.

  54. i hope the xplane 12 can be control by keyboard and mouse like the xplane 11

    1. Support for additional mouse buttons would be nice: I have a mouse with 5 buttons (two extra to a 3-button mouse with scrolling wheel); I could use the additional buttons nicely for flaps or speed-brakes…

  55. Really? have you all been blind? ‘cool’ weather isn’t going to cut it for XP12.. even as excited as I am for realistic wake turbulence. Have you guys (Austin, Laminar) even been watching ANY of the biggest streams in flight sim? Mark my words, if you don’t come up with some basic global ortho scenery built in to XP12 your done. You have to be able to look out the window and see the world as it would be seen. And you don’t need the apocalyptic melted buildings or bridges that look like giant damns that FS2020 gives you.. just some good basic world ortho without needing to buy a 2nd or 4th HD and download gig’s of data for it which is what every content created has been doing to make XP entertaining. XP12 might have been able to get away with it before PMDG or Fenix, but the bar has been set now. Especially with the Fenix release of the A320. If you don’t believe me, Watch V1, Flight Deck to Sim, XP.. I really.. REALLY hope you have an ace up the sleeve , more than you’ve shard, because I love XPlane… but if not.. your just blind and stupid.

    3. Just keep playing your teenager eyecandy GAME msfs, and let us FLIGHT
      simmers, keep using an REAL FLIGHT simulator, like X-Plane !

    4. IMHO it’s all about flying and related procedures, not about scenery watching.
      Like the demand for colored stars: You use the stars for navigation, not to make astronomic observations.
      OK, it’s necessary to see the relevant objects, but all the extra eye-candy is optional.

    5. Thanks for the honest reply. May I suggest to next time stick to your FB/Twitter/… bubble where you choice of words IS appreciated.

    6. Chancy,

      If you’re really intent on contributing to the conversation, and you care about what others think of your thoughts, then take some time to form sentences and paragraphs.

  56. I hope you eventually work with Google to bring Google Maps photogrammetry to the sim.

    Keep up the great work!

    2. Never! Google (others like OSM, too) changes their APIs when they want, and then you’ll need an update of the sim, or all your scenery is gone or won’t update at least.

  57. Great news! Thanks for the update. I have two questions:

    – “Ensure weather continuity between networked simulators”:
    I think this means that the clouds will be EXACTLY the same in a network environment. Will this be based on datarefs or on data that is only exchanged via the “External Visuals” feature?
    Rationale: We are running several dome projection setups (2×2, 3×1 and 12×1) and especially in the 2×2 setup the External Visuals function is not usable as some data extrapolation takes place and the blended images doesn’t match when moving. Thus we send VEHX UDP packages and weather information (basically sim/weather/*) separately from the master to the slave instances.

    – “Re-implement projection warping”:
    Will this be an extra paid feature of the Pro version? I have no idea how many customers buy this feature, but I can only think of home-users who build their own little projection setup with curved screen that might need this feature. Our setups have a camera based calibration process and we use the output (distortion matrix and blend image) in our own software or warp and blend the whole desktop for X-Plane. Or will you provide an interface for external warping and blending?

  58. It’s interesting to note the geographic specific water colours is a work in progress.

    One question therefore is: Will the oceanic waters be tidal (i.e. show more mud flats and sands at low tide)?

  59. First off, my comment will probably not even be seen, let alone contemplated by anybody at Laminar, but here goes. Also I recognise that I’m some random internet stranger with no expertise or knowledge. I have, however, spent tens of thousands of hours in XP11, and a few thousand in MSFS, and I have (I hope) a small sense of the current state of the consumer side of the FS industry.

    To start with, I’d consider getting this into beta as soon as possible. I think a lot of us had genuinely expected that to happen 4 or even 6 months ago. This is important because the longer you guys wait, the more people jump ship to MSFS. That’s just the reality. Look, MSFS is obviously visually the king, and it will remain the king probably after XP13 gets released – it’s just that good.

    But X-Plane does literally everything else better; it most cases it does it all MUCH better. But because of the visual draw of MSFS, and the gap currently between MSFS and XP11 in terms of visuals, every day that you guys wait is a day you undoubtedly lose some people to MSFS. Because of the way inertia works with addons in flight simulation (they’re expensive), once somebody has committed to a simulator and spent hundreds of dollars it becomes sunk cost all the way down. You at the very least need to give us more info on a near daily basis – the radio silence for months at a time is killing the hype. I understand you’re a small team and you’re working probably 70+ hour weeks right now, but to normal users who spent their time on Reddit and FSElite and similar sites, it has been nonstop MSFS for what feels like 4 months now. As somebody who much prefers X-Plane to MSFS, that’s been disappointing.

    The only other thing I’d really opine on is that the biggest thing that draws people to MSFS is the visuals, and since you guys aren’t going to do photoreal scenery or photogammetry, the biggest thing will be the clouds (the user can ortho the rest or whatever). My biggest personal gripe about XP11 is that the clouds/weather are horrendous – I can be flying along in clear skies, and the very next moment a storm pops in on top of me. I’ve actually had this happen where clear skies were rendered, then a storm popped in, and 10 seconds later my plane crashed because of icing. One of the amazing things about MSFS is that you KNOW when you’re flying into clouds, what kind of clouds they are, etc. You can see the storms from a distance; you can see where the clouds end and go around them; you know exactly when you’re in a cloud and should prep for icing and when you aren’t.

    That, in my view (and it’s of course just my view), is the biggest thing that makes MSFS’s visuals so appealing – just that cloud experience. If you guys can get that serviceable, I’d say release it ASAP and finish the rest of it later.

    Anyway, if anybody does actually read this, best of luck with getting it launched and in the end XPlane really is the best simulator out there. Really looking forward to 12.

    Stay safe and happy flying.

    2. Well, I object: there are more sides to the flight simulation industry then the consumer side. You are right when you say the sooner the better, but there are good reasons not to publish unfinished like MS did so often. But I can’t see that MSFS looks so much better and XP should go the same way and integrate google maps or something similar. I once extracted an object file (with the help of some half-legal scripts on github) from a 3D map provider and inserted into XPlane. I do a lot of helicopter flying and so I tried this with a helicopter an while the buildings are quite nice the vegetation looks awful. And that was the same while I tried MSFS the last time around a year ago. So no, the MSFS scenery without handcrafted buildings and trees does not look very nice when you come close. Additionally I need to run exactly the same scenery on 3 or 4 different machines in order to drive my dome projection setups and this is not possible with MSFS. I don’t even know if it is possible to have exactly the same scenario data streamed via internet on each machine. Of all I have seen so far from XP12 with regard to the scenery and vegetation system it looks very promising or to put it simple: I rather have Unreal 5 (https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/unreal-engine-5) that does not look exactly like the reality then Google Maps.
      But this is just my opinion and as you already said, I am also not sure if ever anybody will read this…
      Cheers.

    3. I agree. At this point the only users sticking to XP are the sim builders. XP12 with great visuals (not necessarily superior to MSFS) can be the serious flight simulation king again

  60. I’ve noticed that questions about FPS (frame rates) have gone without any replies. Is Laminar able to comment on comparisons between XP11 and XP12? I know it all depends on settings, weather, scenery, and aircraft, but how would the same instance in XP11 compare to identical settings in XP12? Thank you.

    1. C’mon guys.

      They’ve repeatedly said in the past that the demands on the GPU are gonna go up. What else would one expect. Better clouds, waves, lighting, rain, etc is gonna come for free?

      CPUs and GPUs are getting better too…

    2. That’s a valid question. I guess we have to wait for users to report their results. I will take a wait-and-see approach. My guess though, we will see a greater appetite for resources, which will probably result in lower FPS at similar settings.

      1. Maybe Laminar should add some automatic (i.e.: standardized) frame rate test that allows to save config and results in a file to send it to Laminar to build a database…

  62. Will there be a discount for those who have purchased Xplane 11 within 6 months of Xplane 12 Please?

  63. Thomson, thank you very much for this outstanding update!!! Little bit of time has passed since the last update, this is really getting exciting as the early access approaches! Greatly appreciate the work of the entire team to bring XP12 to reality!!!

  64. Some random thoughts:
    Any improvements on flight planning?
    Does the improved ground traffic drive bezier curves instead of polygons now?
    Will the demo time be at least twice as long as the loading time?
    Is there sny guarantee that the new weather sources are stable (e.g.: X-Plane 9 cannot use resl weather any more)
    Dome details on the improved ATC?
    What about resource requirements compared to X-Plane 11?

    1. I would like to know how one guarantee stable weather sources. All the weather data comes from remote sites, needs to be compiled and distributed. There are a gazzillion thing that can go wrong. Sources change, technology changes and updates, formats may change and need updating. It just cant be guaranteed. You can only gaurantee me that your PC will turn on every time you push the button until that one day it doesnt.

  65. Really I love XPlane, I spent a lot of time on it. I had, in the past all the FS versions, except 2020. Now only XP. I’m waiting for XP 12 !

  67. Love X-Plane and I’ve been using it for two years! Though I’m relatively new to the platform, I’m a licensed private pilot and use X-Plane primarily to maintain my skills. As I’m not that tech savvy, I don’t fully grasp the importance of some of the new developments like electric buses and geographically-aware water colors. My biggest interest/concern is a realistic flight model, photorealistic scenery, and FPS performance. These are the features that elevate X-Plane from a video game to a practical tool for my training purposes. I’m currently with X-Plane versus MSFS because of the flight model. But MSFS scenery is so compelling that I was hoping Laminar Research would make a quantum leap forward in X-Plane-12. I’m starting to wonder if matching the MSFS visuals is either too much to expect of a smaller company or whether the relationships developed with third-party sources have locked X-Plane into this “add-on” model. Candidly, I’ve stopped buying scenery until I can determine what the future is for scenery on X-Plane. I see that others are asking this question and I agree that transparency is better than silence on this point. Thompson, hopefully, you will answer this essential question for all of us. Thank you!

  68. Pingback: X-Plane 12 got a new development update and is nearing Early Access - GamesVot
  69. Pingback: X-Plane 12 got a new development update and is nearing Early Access – Effinate Games

  70. Loved X-Plane 11 besides one thing – Unable to disable autogen and keep my custom airport full detailed. As I used Ortho Scenery, I do not need or want the autogen which is pretty bad as I fly over familiar location. Could you please provide a mechanism (even through a setting file XML,INI,…) to turn off autogen while keeping the beauty of fully detailed airport. I am looking forward to see the magic of X-Plane 12.

    Steph

    1. Steph,
      This sounds more like an ordering issue in your scenery.ini file as my freeware/payware airports *always* have precedence over global airports and autogen. TOns in info on this, Google is your friend 🙂
      Pete

  71. FMS Questions:
    – G1000 has some gaps such as Add Hold based on a Fix. Are G1000 enhancements in scope for XP12?

    – Proline based aircraft have certain VNAV limitations due to the underlying Laminar FMS that drive suppliers into customized features (pros and cons). Other limitations have been inability to use the FMC to get the plane’s current position, and to factor weight, runway condition, etc. into calculations such as Vspeeds. What enhancements are included in XP12 scope?

    Thanks much.

  72. Pingback: X-Plane 12 got a new development update and is nearing Early Access - DropKick Gaming

  73. Looking forward to the release of X Plane 12. I have used all the Microsoft sims over many years, latest was FSX with tons of add-ons etc.
    So, I got MSFS 2020. Make no mistake, although this sim has exceptional graphic quality, the stuttering when landing is unacceptable, no matter what rig you have: they still haven’t sorted it after 2 years!
    This for me makes the sim unplayable, plus to lack of camera options, i.e. tower, fly-by etc is unforgivable.
    I have only used the X Plane 11 demo but I can see, for many reasons, that it is far enjoyable flight sim than MSFS. However, I am hoping Laminar increase the contrast, definition and colour in X Plane 12 as X Plane 11 appears very watery. Keep up the good work.

  74. Me Just an old time simmer here. Been playing all of them since dirt was invented. I can hardly wait for XP-12. I think it will be the best thing since sliced bread. And I would pay a lot more then $60 for it. (just look at what MSFS or DCS plus any addons cost) Only bad thing is I won’t get anything done this summer but fly.

  75. Awesome work guys ! Can’t wait to Install V12 ! And $60 is just a STEAL !
    I respect your superior work, and will be totally ready to ‘donate’ more !

    Keep up the good work, and I love you all !!!

  76. Pingback: X-Plane 12 got a new development update and is nearing Early Access - NextWeb News

  77. If this has been addressed elsewhere my apologies for missing it. I’ll be buying it as soon as X-Plane12 is available but for folk like me who are technologically challenged, is it planned that the third-party add-on we are running on X-Plane11 (e.g. CJS-WorldTraffic-V3.5, JustFlight-146, FlyJSim-Q4XP etc.) will work on the new version? With that in mind I wonder if I should delay purchasing new aircraft until X-Plane12 is installed?

  78. Does XP12 VR supports WMR (Windows mixed Reality) directly from scratch or do all WMR headset users have to workaround with steamVR as in XP11?

  80. Hi there, I want to know whether I can run X-Plane 12 on a virtual desktop. Also, Will, there be an X-Plane 12 Mobile version release in the future. Thanks 😉

  82. What is the total list of planes in X-plane 12 and will there be a Pitts special in it?

  83. Will the linux version of XP 12 be available as early access in Steam?

  84. When will the scenery improvements be imported? Those screenshots look like XP11 quality.

  85. Here’s some questions:

    1. Any details on AI Traffic, for example will they be like Traffic Global or MSFS? And will they depart and arrive at uncontrolled airports? And will they be able to fly helicopter properly? Will they be able to go into their own parking assignment based on WED? And will they have flight schedule as well?
    2. Details on ATC? Will the ATC have departure and approach frequency? And will it have unicom and traffic advisory? And will we be able to declare emergency and radio failure? And will we be able to after landing like for example request taxi to parking or gate? Will new control center be added?
    3. Combat. Althrough X-Plane is not a combat sim, is there any improvement like for example, will the AI fire guns, lasers, drop bombs, and rocket? Will damage also be implemented during combat? Because a rocket or a missile can’t destroy a plane in one shot unless the blast radius is bigger. For example, if a missile or a rocket hit one of the plane engine, the engines takes damage. This also applies to guns and lasers as well.
    4. Failures. Are they the same or new ones being added for example: wheel well fire and cargo fire. And is there any improvements?
    5. Engine fire. Instrument instruction says that the fire can spread, but in sim it doesn’t. Will it be improved?
    6. Jetway. How many jetways can be animated? One or more?
    7. Ground service. Any improvement or new stuff?

  86. Another question:
    Will a better bug or feature tracker be used with X-Plane 12?
    The current tracker hardly ever leaves any feedback to the reporter.
    Some existing systems give you feedback when a bug reported had been fixed (or would not be fixed for some reasons, or isn’t considered to be a bug).
    Laminar does not have to write its own or spend many bucks: For example bugzilla (see https://www.bugzilla.org/features/) is free (actually it’s more: It’s “open”)

  87. will the SF50 still be available? i loved in 9 and 11 and this is the first time its been out of prototype so i really hope its still included

  88. What kind of graphics card is required to get photometric lightning in X-Plane 12?
    Do you need to have graphics card that have RealTime Ray hardware (such as Nvidia 3080, AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT?)

    If somebody have a MacStudio with M1 Max or M1 Ultra, will they also be able to get photometric lightning in X-Plane 12?

    1. Will XP12 run natively on Macs? I’d like to upgrade to a MacStudio M1 Ultra if that will makes things faster. Right now I am just using a mac mini with a large curved screen as my primary monitor and two (2) RealSim G1000 monitors for the PFD and MFD. I can’t seem to get above 30fps with my setup. I am hoping that it will be much better with a MacStudio and native running under OSX.

      1. It was confirmed in the comments of the March 4th Development Update that XP12 will run natively on Apple Silicon.

      2. Laminar has told us earlier that XP12 will run natively on Macs (both on Intel and on M1 processors). XP11 works natively on Intel but on M1 via Apples emulator Rosetta with pretty good performance.

        Only Laminar (and its partners under NDA) knows how the performance is on M1 – and I guess the XP12 code hasn’t yet been optimized, so the performance might increase a bit more.

        That is what I believe is on the CPU code, but the GPU code I believe is already running (or most of it) natively due to API calls.

  89. Now that you successfully support Khronos´s Vulkan since 11, what about native OpenXR for VR (native OpenXR for Windows MR is much faster and more responsive with native Open XR, than over Steam) for X-Plane12?
    Though I understand, that there is not only Windows (especially not for this simulator ;-)), it would be great if you could take this in consideration.

    Greetings,
    Jens

  90. Good news, but could you clarify better how the launch of X-Plane12 will be done?
    I had the following doubts:

    1) Will the X-Plane 11 updates you announced last year no longer be delivered? Because these updates would be free and I believe that for most users it would be more feasible.

    2) Will the Airbus A330 be a complete aircraft? Or will you need mods? Just like X-Plane11’s B787-800?

    3) By the way, will the B737-800 come together with the X-Plane12? Or will we have to wait for ZiboMod?

    Thank you very much!

  91. Thank you for the update. Has the particle engine on replay been fixed. Will we see touch down smoke in XP-12?

  94. I recognise has XP has some good features including flight model.

    Going forward XP dev works needs to reprioritize:

    Cloud types, cloud rendering, rain and weather atmosphere effects: 20%
    Wind currents and effects on flight model: 5%
    New world rendering and scenery designer: 45%
    ATC, AI, map and integration: 5%
    Graphics, proper HDR, AA, DLSS etc: 15%
    Graphics / multi core optimization: 10%

    Statics, new aircraft, GUI, fmod, voices, multiplayer, training, flight planning, everything else: ZERO.

    2. I would agree on some part of this, but a common mistake is to compare X-Plane to other newer sims that have the benefits of running in DirectX and not being multi-os compatible. Now the bottle neck of X-Plane have always been render performance and how newer and older graphics card utilize this. So I fully agree on DLSS and a huge improvement in AA.. From looking at some of the released Alpha shots, it is clearly though Alpha that they still have these jagged shadow lines and it seems that AA in game does not talk to driver or verse visa. Multi-core is another thing I believe they must target, especially on the CPU side which really tighten the bottle neck for most computers. Not sure how the scale is tilted now, but I do hope most is handled on the GPU VRAM side. Weather is by far the second most important thing to fix, a smooth “performance” friendly cloud and sky rendering is alpha omega.

  95. I get such a kick out of all the ‘it should be free or discounted posts’. To everyone posting that please send me your address so I can come to live at your house for free including food, clothing, cable, electricity, water, gas for my truck, etc.

  96. Will the default 737 remain exactly the same as of X-Plane 11 or will there be any changes/improvements?

  97. There are a lot of legacy aircraft by 3rd party suppliers which work on XP11. Will those work on XP12, or will the suppliers have to develop patches for them to work? Or, what in your opinion, is likely to happen?

    There are many different types of users of flight sim. I’m reasonably confident that there are many actual pilots/students who own or fly personal aircraft who use flight sim to help remain current and proficient in a particular aircraft and who depend upon a fleet of legacy aircraft being available. Not everyone is flying a C152 or 172, but various older Pipers, Moonies, Beech, Taylorcraft, Stinson, etc. as well. Not everyone is interested in the latest fighter, Boeing, or Airbus. I am hopeful that XP12 will have ALL of those legacy aircraft in its hangar.

  98. Will lakes and water falls should as Niagra falls having moving physical water in xplane 12

  99. Please tell me that ROADS will look better. Like, at least no sharp bends and corners when there shouldn’t be any, and perhaps better asphalt textures/colors. To me that is the most annoying thing. Other than that XP11 is great already.

  100. If only we could know when the beta would be released.
    Actually facing loads of issues with msfs and thinking of getting Xplane 11.

  101. We use XP11 for professional pilot multi-crew research. Will XP12 offer enhanced multi-crew functionality?

  102. Can you update us on the Vulkan Device Loss bug marked XPD-10830?
    The only quick fix for this bug at this moment in time is to use OpenGL, which of course won’t be included in XP12 I believe?

  103. I run XP11 on a laptop that starts lagging easily if I’m in the Zibo 737, flying on VATSIM, and if my settings are just slightly too high. Anytime my fps gets low, it disconnects me from VATSIM servers. Would it be a good idea to get XP12? Or would that be even worse?

  104. Can x-plane 11 user upgrade to x-plane 12 free of charge or a special discount?

  105. Will add on planes finally work on mac because they don t work with x plane 11, and will it run smoothly on m1max macbook pro?

  106. Whatever you all say. Yes the FS graphics are amazing and wonderful except…the X plane planes are so technically fun to fly.. On FS, for most planes, a lot of the buttons don’t work. What’s the point of having ”a nice simulator” if you can’t start your plane properly, virtually, like a real one. It’s not a toy I want.. It’s a real simulator. Having flown a cessna, which isn’t much, but when I’m on x plane 11, I really feel like I’m in my cessna. On FS, on some planes, a lot of things are missing. Not on x plane. X plane was designed by professionals.

  107. Would be great to get the early access demo version as soon as possible. I would like to see if my hardware is capable of running XP12, and at which settings. If not, it might be a good time to shop for a new GPU now that prices have fallen slightly. XP11 is mostly CPU limited on my end. Clouds plus lots of buildings let the framerate drop to useless levels. I have high hopes for volumetric clouds to shift that bottleneck to the GPU.

    Also, if you have any update on which CPUs/GPUs are required for HD, WQHD or even 4K, it would be highly appreciated if you could share them.

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